Situated on the banks of the Orange River in the province of Northern Cape, the town of Upington was founded in 1884. It was named after the Prime Minister and one time Attorney General Sir Thomas Upington. Prior to 1884, the township was actually a mission station that was run by the Reverend Schroder. The town has a population of nearly 75,000 people, and takes up 130 square kilometres.
The original mission building was actually turned into the local museum, which is now known as the Kalahari Orange Museum. The museum is also home to a large donkey statue, which was created as a memorial to the tremendous assistance these animals provided during the development of the area during the 19th century.
The town is also located near the greatest waterfall in South Africa, the Augrabies Falls. The area is also well known for its production of wine, grapes, fruit and raisins, due to the exceptionally fertile soil of the flood plains of the Orange River.
Whilst there isn't an overabundance of tourist attractions, some of the more popular ones include the Camel and Rider Statue, Date Palm Avenue, The Hortentia Windmill, the Dutch Reformed Church, the Grave of Scotty Smith, the Oranje River Wine Cellars Co-Operation, and Spitskop Nature Reserve.
